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Friday, May 25, 2012

Perfume Term: Animalic Notes, the Skanky Smell of Sexy

Frequenting perfume discussion communities and reading reviews online you often come across the term "animalic". Though its evocation is that of...animal, obviously, its significance is more layered, less simple, as we will explore.

Technically the term isn't even in the dictionary, or at the very least it is defined as "of or concerning animals". Yet the full story isn't restricted to that. Simply put an animalic perfume might do two things: 1)contain animal-derived products, i.e. raw materials directly harvested from animal sources or 2) evoke the animal in you, i.e. producing that "animalic growl" we associate with...well, you know.
I am going to explain both in detail, just let it be said in passing that the quoted phrase above was first used by (sadly) long-defunct blogger Cognoscenti back when she described scent in a visceral, highly imaginative way, both on her blog and on MakeupAlley. From then on, it caught on with most perfume reviewers online to the point it's become a foregone conclusion to almost hear the sound before reading the words.

But the etymology of "animalic" in perfumery has more to do with perfume molecule producing company Synarome's "perfumer's base" (i.e.a ready-made chord of complimentary ingredients for use when composing perfumes) called Animalis; a feral, thick mixture with prominent civet and castoreum (both traditionally animal-derived products), a claster of musks and costus root (To get an idea, this base is featured in both vintage Piguet Visa and in Vierge et Toreros by Etat Libre d'Orange and possibly Twill Rose by Parfums de Rosine). Actually, for accuracy's sake, Synarome has not one but two Animalis bases in their arsenal: Animalis 1745-03 (which is Tonkin musk like, very musky) and Animalis 5853 with woody and sensuous notes.

The first explanation of animalic refering to animal-derived ingredients is rather a fantasy than a fact nowadays nevertheless, since most companies ~major and niche, high-end and lower-end~ have stopped using these ingredients, either due to ethical reasons for the safe-keeping of the animals, or due to the high costs associated, or due to legislation forbidding the use of certain of them (for instance owning ambergris is considered illegal in certain countries).

Traditionally animal harvested ingredients included fecal and perineum region gland essences from the Tibetan deer musk (Tonquin musk), civet (from the civet cat Civettictis civeta, technically not a cat at all), castoreum (from beavers) and ambergris (from the sperm whale). Of those four, only ambergris can be said not to hurt, irritate or threaten the animal in any way, as it is naturally excreted by the whale and found floating in the ocean. You can consult the links for more info on each and every one of those ingredients.
The reason such essences were used for centuries is because they instilled a warmth that morphed other ingredients into greatness (this is especially true of civet which lets floral essences "bloom" on the skin; see the classic Tabu which uses civet to reinforce the carnality call of jasmine, carnation & patchouli and was actively briefed as un parfum de puta to its perfumer Jean Carles!). Or they acted as fixatives, i.e. prolonging the duration of the aromatic components enough so that they do not evaporate as quickly (for instance the musk base in the traditional Eau de Cologne was meant to provide a little bit of anchoring to the fleeting hesperidic top notes and the herbal heart).

They were also useful in producing certain "notes", for instance castoreum was often used as a "leather scent note" in leather perfumes. Makes sense as real urine (alongside cow dung and other animal essences) were traditionally used to treat hides in tanneries, lending hides a distinctly animalic scent which needed further "masking" with flowers. Did I just spoil your luxe fantasies? Sorry....
A good example where the leathery scent is clearly "animalic" -as in sweaty, horsey hide- is Paco Rabanne's La Nuit. A subtler example where the musky note recalls circus animals droppings amidst the sawdust smelled from afar is Dzing! by L'Artisan Perfumeur.And yet, these are fabulous perfumes, polarising yes, but with a strange pull to them.
These animalistic notes can also be provocative as hell; see Kiehl's Original Musk, Musc Ravageur by Editions de Parfums F.Malle , the intensely animal-like Ajmal Musk Gazelle or the undulating between polite society & barnyard tryst L'Air de Rien by Miller Harris. The effect? Same as in 1950s and 1960s trend of wearing leopard or cheetah-printed coats and accessories; there's something dangerous, wild, untamed about the person sporting such an item, be it fashions or perfume.

But animal-derived ingredients can expand (and indeed they have in many artisanal lines today) into more esoteric things than just musky smells, like "African stone" (dried excrement from hyrax, a small rodent, like in Lord Jester's Dionysus) or choya nak (essence from toasted sea-shells, such as in Fairchild by natural perfumer Anya mcCoy of Anya's Garden). The olfactory effects rendered by these innovative, non-classical essences can be surprising and very pleasing: Although initially sounding strange, they manage to evoke the intimacy and warmth of living things. Which is the whole point of "animalic" in the first place, isn't it.
Even indolic perfume notes or some varieties of synthesized musk fragrances (containing none of the natural deer musk) can fall into the umbrella of "animalic" should they be given a proper context to shine. Cumin can smell intimate like sweat if it's treated in a rich composition with spices. Costus root can be reminiscent of unwashed hair, in more intimate places than just head, as in vintage Fille d'Eve by Nina Ricci. Cassie can come across as womanly, ripe for the plucking. The mastery lies in the perfumer knowning what he/she's after.

The second explanation of the term "animalic" is perhaps more tortured, possibly the most elusive. How does one define what "brings out the animal", or maybe the anima -if we're to use Jungian terms- in you? Surely attraction, arousal, excitement of the senses is a highly individual thing. And why has this been tied to "dirty" smells, as in smells pertaining to the armpit, the vulva, the penis, the anus, the urethra and the region therein? As Jean Paul Guerlain, master perfumer at Guerlain perfume, used to say about his perfumes, they were made to subtly evoke his mistress's more intimate regions and that involved all three holes. Of course older Guerlains, before the times of Jean Paul, can be naughty in a more discreet way; Mouchoir de Monsieur or Voilette de Madame hide a polite civet note in there.
What is it about our nether regions that is so olfactorily attractive, as if we were dogs sniffing each other in the butt while exchanging social hellos?

Animalic is largely a subjective term in this sense pertaining to perfume (no one's crotch smells exactly the same as the person's next to them), especially since perfume is conceived and traditionally used as an adornment that should elevate us over our basest instincts; a sort of sophistication and refinement that differentiates man from beast. This is an interesting dichotomy and at the same time an irony. Some of the most revered and masterful fragrances are indeed comprised from base smells, smells of the lower instincts. But I wonder, how is man able to elevate himself over the animal if beforehand he doesn't embrace the animal in him and rejoice in its constituents?

Apparently when speaking about animalic perfumes there are a few parameters peeking through as a constant. An animalic scent should be warm, rich, creating an aura of lived-in things (this is in part the allure of "skin scents"), maybe a tad pungent, but overall giving off sexiness; sexiness in the sense of actually making you think about sex, not just media-broadcasted images of what we should consider sexy (perky full breasts, chiseled pectorals, globulal butts, you name it), but sexy as in down and dirty, in all our imperfections, in all our natural secretions sans deodorant.
This is why animalic is often uttered in the same breath as "skanky smelling", a term coined to denote on the one hand the sickly sweetish scent of skanks the animals themselves (with which many have not unpleasant associations), but also the promiscuous and physical nature of "skanks", the women who don't employ subtlety in their seduction routine, to put it politely. What is it about an overt display of sexuality that is so compelling, be it a manifestation in a feminine or a masculine fragrance interchanged between the sexes? What is it about smell which brings us to our more primitive level when the instinct of procreation, the instinct of sexual desire, the desire for life is conquering even the omnipresent fear of death?

In that regard, animalic scents can be said to encompass a wide grey area of fragrance taxonomy, from the outwardly civet-trumpeting fecal nuances such as in Bal a Versailles by Jean Desprez, the classic Schocking by Sciaparelli (based on a woman's odorata sexualis) and Tolu by Ormonde Jayne to the musk-evocing Muscs Kublai Khan (with added civet and castoreum notes) and Bois et Musc by Serge Lutens ~as well as the more hidden sexuality of musks & once real, now synthetic, civet in the drydown of lady-like Chanel No.5. There's the civet in "parfum de puta" (whore's brew) Tabu by Dana; this was verbatim the brief!

Sometimes the animal just lurks in the shadow, intimidating and breath-taking...Onda by Vero Profumo certainly creates that image; we sense its habitat, we guess it's there. Givenchy Gentleman is menacing. Sometimes it's in plain sight, more apparent and therefore less suggestive; think of the male parts smell that Rose Poivrée by The Different Company used to have until recently.

Animalic scents can create fear, like sex itself and its sheer potency has created fear in the minds of puritans and church-abiding citizens who made the rules in the past, in an effort to control what is perhaps most liberating in humans, sex drive itself. But animalic scents can also create real lust, intellectual appreciation and that most prized sentiment of them all: empathy for the human condition...

I got a mini of Bal a Versailles at a recycle shop. I don't know how old it is, but it is skanky in the rich, balsamic sense. Being male, I am hesitant to wear it in public, but it is very attractive. I haven't tried the current edition.

I don't think I own many animalic perfumes, not that I have anything against them as such.My sample of Tolu is almost used up, and I'm thinking of a bottle but I've never thought of it as animalic. Onda is lovely, although I've only tried the EDP and I think the extrait is more animalic?My favorite animalic perfume must be Amouage Memoir Woman, it's so yummy!

do try it! *chanting* It's pretty amazing stuff. I love the EDC version which is said to be skankiest (I don't know what people say, I say it smells delicious and warm and cozy). The recent version isn't totally ruined reportedly.

Tolu is beautifully balsamic and the rounding of the oriental floral themes hides the small text...which is the lovely civet in the base. As to Onda, yes, I am talking about the parfum which is earthy dirty animalic rather than "skanky".

I love Musc Ravageur--its a weird scent that sometimes feels cuddly and comforting and sometimes is a sexy skin scent. Not sure what pushes it to one side or the other. Maybe hormone flux or diet? In any case, I love the schizophrenia. Its like having two scents in one bottle. On the other hand, no matter how often I try another sample of Muscs Koublai Khan, it always smells like a full diaper t me. :-/

no wonder! Your explanation makes perfect sense. You see, I find MR is more of a spicy oriental than a true musk (and the spices COULD by swayed by diet or hormones, most definitely), while MKK is musk to the Nth degree and then some!I know I'm rather in the minority in preferring the latter to the former. :-& Don't mind me.

Oh I have long held the opinion that Chanel No.5 is extremely musky, especially in the older variations! I think people who object to it being musky are thinking of the standard sweetish, BO musks of the 70s. There's synthetic civettone too.

And yes, Jubilation 25, indeed! Love this one. I think there might be some civet in the latter, though not 100% sure, but of course you can't trust official notes as to what actually goes inside the formula. That one also has some cumin which brings on a ripe rounding thing to the fruity chypre structure (just like it does in Femme).

BaV, my old standard (of many years)! L'Air de Rien, which is so musky and skanky on me that it has become one I wear when spending the day alone. L'Ombre Fauve by PG. JCE's "Declaration" for Cartier, which, after the cardamom has diminished, is pure animalic. I wore it to the gym once and it embarrassed me! There are many -- but I'm going through a floral phase right now, as I often do at this time of year.

Vintage Femme is my favorite animalic perfume. In terms of ingredients, I love choya nakh, and Africa stone (hyrax poop!). Cumin is too culinary for me, so I don't like the new Femme much. I remember smelling actual tiger musk at a zoo and was quite overhwhelmed! Terrific article on an often misused and misunderstood term.

there...you had to name one of my (and SO's) favorites! Declaration. Sheer genius and so dirty under the "fresh" facade!! Gym wearing huh? LOL, I bet it was quite intimate smelling when sweat-laced too. Brave choice! The other two are just exquisitely human-like. You can't but feel there's someone in the room if you spritz them.

Animal smell in the zoo is quite something, isn't it? Each one has a somewhat different smell. (Goats smell the most pungent I find, elephants have a unique musk scent about them which is somewhat "milky" and sour; and felines are something else entirely -not totally unpleasant, but VERY intense, very urinous-musky)

Totally fascinating article as always. It really strikes me that perfume might be more revealing about aspects of our personality that we keep secret than food or art could ever be!

I have a perfume question which I've not been able to find the answer to anywhere - Do you know which musks are used in the following perfumes? - My favourite musky perfume so far is L'Air de Rien. My least favourite so far is Amaranthine, it's either the type of musks used or the combination of ingredients - to me Amaranthine turns unbelievably ammoniac-like and sharp, and even within 5 minutes I'm getting vintage clothes underarm sweat. I know that ammonia can be created with concentrated urine, and to me it's the smell of the pee of someone who’s been on the booze for 5 days, is dehydrated and in need of a long hot bath! Having said that, I enjoyed the smell of Kouros on men in my younger days - it was a good dance club scent

With L'Air de Rien I just get a lovely fresh sweat and warm cat fur scent. The sexy vibe seems to me to be those notes combined with sweet woody incense and neroli (which maybe gives it a romantic edge). I get garden music festival hippy vibes mixed with the idea of antique furniture and old Turkish carpets. The kind of genuine shabby chic that designers try to re-create. It's definitely Jane Birkin-esque. I've always loved her style, and French style in general - insouciant seems to sum it up. The subtext of all this means I probably want to be more cool than I am in reality!

I simply love your blog. It's like a wikipedia of perfumes to me.This post blew me away, as it did away with notions of snooty,snobby airs that normally surround anything that has to do with fragrances.Instead, this post focussed on the raw,primordial scent that drives all animals including us humans.I would definitely love to know who the writer of this post is, so I can personally ask some queries that I have. An email id would work just greatCheers!Dhritiman Bhaumik

Amazing post!! Thank you so much for your in depth article and never ending knowledge. Onda was the first animalic I ever smelled. I never knew perfume could be like that. It started me on my journey to learn more about perfume.

I don't know the exact ingredients but will get back at you with any info I lean. What I can say is that L'Air de Rien (my fav also) also has a strong oakmoss component that gives it a lived-in ambience. The musks used are also probably laced with a bit of civet? Amaranthine (which I like very much as well, please note) has more of a floral component and probably some blackcurrant buds from the looks of it; do you get the same ammoniac thing from Chamade or from First? Those have the ingredient in some significant quantity to register.

Furriness is a great quality in a fragrance. You might like Les Parfums Fourrure (as defined in my right hand column list of articles). ;-)

Loved this article! Animalic scents are my favorite category and I adore many: I have Onda, Absolue pour le soir, Muscs Koublai Khan, Musc Ravageur, L'air de rien, Dzing, a large decant of Leather Oud, Rose de Nuit, Rubj EdP. Aah, I can never have enough of their unbridled sensuality, and life, after all. As you said sexual desire is one of the very few things that can make us forget about death. And these scents remind us of that. Thank you again for the article, Elena, absolutely wonderful!

Elena Vosnaki has been the Perfume History Curatorof the Be Open Foundation exhibitionThe Garden of Wonders, A Journey in Scents in Milan EXPO, as well as a guest lecturer at the Athens School of Fine Arts. She was Fragrance Expert onAbout.com. Her writing has been twice shortlisted in FIFI Editorial Excellence Awards and is extensively quoted by authors. She is an evaluating expert on Osmoz.com. Interviews regarding Vosnaki's unique status as perfume historian & writer appear in VOGUE Hellas, ICON Magazine and Queen.gr